i had no money so i studied law to get above my station. i studied law. five years later, i was made head of the company at columbia. i didn't prepare for it, so to discover that music is my passion, to discover that after one artist after another made it, if you will, and that i had a natural gift, i mean, brought true joy, so i love what i do. i'm blessed in that respect. >> has your ear gotten better, or does it inevitably deteriorate over the years. be honest. >> i like to say we get report cards every wednesday, and the report cards are still real good. so that whether in recent years it was finding hits for leona lewis or working with jennifer hudson or on top of what happened with whitney and alicia keys and other artists, i feel good about it. i wouldn't do it if the report cards were embarrassing. >> i am not suggesting you would. jennifer hudson is an incredible one to me. when i heard her performing, i sat back watching on television and i thought, hard to imagine that almost anybody you have worked with had a better, more powerful voice than t